Means for drying prints



Sept. 7, 1943'.

' H. J.. BRUNK MEANS FOR DRYING PRINTS Filed Feb. 10, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 7, 1943. H. .J. BRUNK MEANS FOR DRYING PRINTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV ENT OR.

Filed Feb. 10, 1941 Patented Sept. 7, 1943 1 MEANSJIFORI'DRYING' PRINTS Harold J.,Brunk,dhicago, 111., assignor to The r G. F. Pease Company, a corporation. of Delaware Application My invention relates to improvements in means for drying, prints, particularly double-faced;

prints.

Such prints, which have an image on each side, require very careful and slow drying. It has been demonstrated. through a considerable period of time that if the emulsion surface is .ap-

plied directlyagainst a heated. metal surface, a'

separation 'of the coating and the paper takes.

place. To avoid this, most photographers heretofore have subjected this type of reproduction to averyslow air drying. Where mechanical dryers'have been used, the prints have been confinedbetween two belts, one over the other, passing around or part way around a heated drum. This apparatus. has given rise to certain 'difiiwardly in :this instance.

introduced at the top ofthe'machine between,

culties,however, due to the differentperipheralv speeds of the belts.

The general object of the invention is to pro vide ,adryer which will dry double-facedprints inadditionto single faced prints and turn them out perfectly flat and smooth.

, Other. objects are, to provide equipment which is designed to hold a print between'adjacent belt spans as the latter slide over the surface of' a heater, to provide equipment whichdries a print, first on one side and then on the other, which is" provided with two endless belts in-the. form-or loops having adjacent spanswhich slide first over one curved heating surface-and then over another curved heating surface following an S-curve, which is provided withxtwo :belts hav-- ing adjacent spans to confine. theprintskduringthe drying operation, but permittingxalislight shrinkage to restore the printsyto their initial size and maintain practically theoriginal scale.

An'additional object is to provideadryer for double-faced prints which" is of sturdyconstruo-v tion and quite compact, requiring so little floorspace thatit may. be mounted on a trailer which carriers other equipment andhas only a small additional space available.

"In the accompanying drawings a commercial embodiment of the invention is illustrated, in

which:

Fig. 1 isa perspective View. of the front and one. side of the dryer;

Fig. 2 'is a perspective view of therear thereof and of the opposite side; and

I Fig. 3 is a side elevation on'a larger scale, with the drivingmotor housing removed. Y

The machine comprises a frame I0 having suitable vertical and transverse supporting members. The two upper rollers II and I2 and the two lower rollers I3 and 14 are mounted in this February 10, 1941, serial No. 378,303 5 Claima' (Cl...'s' i 162) a frame. Two endless belts l5, It, made preferably of woven, seamless, continuous canvas are mounted on these rollers, forming two vertical loops. [The right hand side of the ,machine is the front, as viewed in Fig.3, and the left hand "side" is the rear. These canvas. drying bands, are each supported-.rby one of the up er rollersanddriven by oneoi the two knurled rollers at the bottom, with their inner. spans in contact and traveling at the same rate of speed, down- Prints to be dryed are said spans and are carried past two heaters each of which hasa curved surface ll, It, so that thebands in theirdownward travel slide pref-j, erably first over one and then over the other of 1 these two curved surfacesbending first in one: direction and then. in the. other direction. In

this manner first one side .of a print is adjacent: the surface of aheater and thenthe other side. It'willbe noted that the two bands between. which the prints travel are so mounted on the.

supporting rollers that said prints are not sub.-

jected to any very great bending. Such-bendsv as they do make are gradual and in no case do both belts pass around asingle roller with the print between them. 0n the other hand,

said prints, except fora slight deviation back and forth to" facilitate tensioning the .belt, pass through the machine substantially in one direction, i. e.', from top to bottom in this instance. .In addition. to the rollers already described,

there are a number of idle rollers, which control the tension and, travel .offithe belt. These are numbered 2%), 2i and iii on one side, with corresponding rollers 23, .24 on the other side. roller I2 is adjustable.

The heaters, which are suitably mounted in the side frames of the machine, each consist of a sheet metal housing or containertfi, 25, one,

side ll, 18 of which is curvedapproximateiy along the arc of a circle. Each heater is closed by end walls 21, 28, and contains suitable heating means, either gas or electric, The heat is thermostatically controlled.

Re ferrlr 1g to the side elevation the two drive rollers l3, M are rotated by. sprockets '29 and, 3.0 driven by a chain 3| from,.;a-drive1shait 32 which is connected by a suitable clutch 33 with.

a motor within the house 34. p

The speed is regulated through a suitable rheostat 35.; The driving unit within the said casing includes the motor and reduction gear unit (not shown) and may be disconnected from or applied to the machine readily.

The,

A storage tray or support 36 isiprovided at the front of the machine for stacking the wet prints before they are dried. This support may be swung backwardly flat against the machine when not in use, by moving the adjustable bracket 31. The prints as they pass out from between the two belts at the bottom of the machine are directedby-a sheet metal guide 3 8 into the trayr39. This tray is of telescopic construction. and is pulled out 'to its 'full width when in' use and slid back within the frame when not in.

use.

The rotatable parts are all providedawithl'ball bearings which are oil sealed" With the constructiondescribed above; 11', e1,

with the shallow heaters one above theothe'fr'and slightly offset, the resulting apparatus is very compact from front to rear. Its width from-side to side is not much greater than the width of; some of the prints which it is desired to dry and its height iS- t-hP) greatest dimension; being: lime: ited in this -respect'by the available space .in '9... held service trailer in which it is desired: to mount it. When-not in. use" there. are; practi'eallycno-i projections at the frontandrear, all ot .lying' substantially1Within. the front: and; rear: planeof the upright: corner membersiofthe'irame.

- While this apparatus is suitable. for. Va/IlOllSs classes of: servioe, the particular embodiment 1 of: the inventionishownhereinlis desi gned espeoiailyc for thedrying of aerial, photographicprints thes trailers referred: to being those used. inrthecai-u servicewhere it is desired that photographsstal'rs en. from airplanes be printed, developed: and; dried, quickly. and without; substantial; shrdrrln;

age For example," prints-x .driedzonz. this apparratus are within T 6. 01 1%. true to scale: Said;

, spans of belts; slide; over: wallsliniseriese theothenofi said heating devices.

3; A dryer comprising two belts in the form of 'jerrdlessiloopsya pairzof spaced apart rollers within each loop' around. which said belts travel with one span of each belt in engagement with the other:to:form a--conveyor for sheets of material positionedbetween said spans, means for rotatingsa'id rollers, and a heater fixedly mounted withimeachofisaid loop'spsaid lieaters comprising hollow; narrowistructunesa substa'ntially. al'ign'edi with each other and each having a substantially! flat; wall; a substantially shaped wailand end closures fonzsaid; wallsgti andrh'eating means withintsaid: structures=,.. the' latter being offset with respect; to .eachother. so: thatl-thelcon'tactingi said\ arc shapedi 4'. A: dryer. comprisingv mountedain:fixed'lpositi'onrthereina a; paino'fi heat: ers'; arranged one over-the. other; and eachthavingla ounvedx wallaon pnenside; saidiwaill'ss-pro jectingxim opposite, directions, a'lpa'ir of= rollers above; an'dzai pair; of: rollers; below" sai'dzlheatex s and two; endlessabelts each traveling: over oneiof prints; when. they. areswet lexpand. and ,aslthey,"

dry they shrink. back to: approximately their. original. size. The spa'cez limitationsgxarer that this apparatus is within; dimensions of; 692

, inches in.- height, 30 inches in width-land twelne:

incheshin. depth from frontutolrear and ,wiliprnpi-a erlyl dry at least 3.09,; 8 mo doubieafacedi printer perhour. V; q

czIzolaimzr.v l. v l j LA dryen oomprisinga. pair; offiXEdIhBZltQlLSS arrangedlohe over the other andteaclshavingiaa curved Wall on one side, ,sai d wallssprojectingz in: opposite: directions, apair of: ZOHQTE QfbEfi/Glfl'fidl pair; of; rollers below said heaters-and twozen' less belts eachtraveling over one of said: upper and one of said lower rollers':forming: two sub stantiallyvertical loo-ps-,-the innerm-ost spans bet-- ingincontact \vith eaoh other sliding firstmyersa the curved wall of said upper heatereand then over the curved wall of said loweruhe'ater ilt-a L reverse curve, tensionrol1ers-for maihtaining aid loops: under-tensionand means for oausing sai di loops to-travelat the-same surface velocity when by sheets ofnmaterlal introduced betweerr loops at one end will be-heatedf-frrst on oneeside and-thenon-theotheras adjacent spans.- a v I 2. A drying machine oomprising a frame liaal ing: tworollers mounted therein' near the-topt t-wo similarly mounted rollers near the bottom there of,. the rollers ofone-pair being closely spaced in:

' their, centrally, vertic'ahplanes but: mounted! one! higher than the other, a;closedzvloop:ofamaterial: depending from; each of said top ZIOHBISf and: onseeing one of said bottomerollers andlapai; f1

they travel bett-teensaidsaid; upper; and, one;;of said; lowersrollersiormihge two substantially vertical 1OOpS;.the":il'lIIel HdSU spans being: inacontactl withiteach otherysliding firstizoye'rpthe curveduwalllof saidiuppers heater] and: then: oven the. curved: wall: or: said :lower heater in a reversa curve;.- a: Ihingedrsuppom mounted .onaonez sidiehof said frame nea-n the' top,

and; a, telescopic; tray: mountediin: the .bottomtoii saidcframerwhereby said; support andl saidztraw may. be: confinedv within lth'allimits of; said .fram'e whenxnot'imusew c r l 5. Aid-X3331? compriisingz-ttvo: endl ess'. beitsaaapairz ofv spaced-.apartsriollersl for; each: of bolts 1 around: whichlsai-dibelts; travel lwitha'onefispan ofi each beltaimiengagement withcthe othen'to form a conveyeri fsn'sh'eets ofimat'oriail positioned vbetween saidzfspans; said; belts; after' passing: over the rollersgnear; one end oil-said: conveyor. com:

, verging until theyev meet to'.form-anzentrance;-andd' diyergingnear the" other: end; to-lformamoutietzfor, said: conveyor; the two; returm'spansmeing spaced; apartout off contacts with v eaoha other; means sfjor; drivingr one: of saidyrollersglandvheat'em surfaces-,1, one; of which-L is; betweenrth'e: conveyerz span-tend the;returmspan:iofieachzoflsaid endless belts, said surfaces having aeivwldthoadileaslilaiss Iea-tias saidr belta andi: extending: a: substantial distance: longitudinally; thereof; said surface:- bee.

ing projected from opposite directions partly/info? the 'pathof: andrinn conta'c'ztz witlrzsazida conyeyier surfaces in close,engagement;therewith;- ,3

spans and being rounded nearithesends: causing:

saidspa-ns -to be deflected slightly'by said dieaitfed surfaces and to slide firs-cover one sideraxrdz-them over the oppositely; proj ectingside'ot said :heated HARQLD'JQBRUNK 3;. narrow; frame havingi 

